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July 1, 2010
Senior volleyball players Rebeccah Rapin and Leslie Curtis traveled with a group to Haiti during the spring and spent 10 days there helping with earthquake recovery efforts.
The volleyball team organized "Headbands for Haiti" which was a project the team did together to raise money to help Rapin and Curtis personally deliver food, water, tents, and medical supplies to Cité Soleil, which is a poverty stricken area of Port-au-Prince. To view the video recap of their experience, click on the link at the top of the page.
The following is a letter written by Rapin and Curtis:
As most of you know, on January 12, 2010, a massive 7.0 earthquake shook the small nation of Haiti. Thousands were killed, and thousands more were left homeless with no food or water.
Ironically, our group had booked our flights to Haiti the night before. We had planned on going down to Haiti anyway to do some service work. Leslie and her mother Diane had previously been to Haiti, and had grown attached to the country and especially the people. Now, after the earthquake, our need to go down there was even greater.
Before we went, we wanted to raise some money so we could bring medical supplies, food, water, tents, and crafts. Along with gracious donations from our friends and family members, we came up with a fundraiser we named "Headbands for Haiti." With the help of our teammates, we knitted headbands and sold them around campus and to our friends. Overall, we raised over $2,400 to take down to Haiti!
On April 29th, we, along with Leslie's mother Diane and boyfriend Tyler (a student and club soccer player here at Grand Valley), left for Port-au-Prince, Haiti. A group of four from Muskegon, as well as four nurses from Denver met us down in Florida on a connecting flight.
We spent the first two days with Haiti Clinic, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care in the impoverished nation of Haiti. In just two days, we saw 765 patients! As the people would enter you could see the hurt and pain in their eyes, but when we were able to give them medicine and care, a little bit of their hope was restored.
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On Sunday we visited the Sisters of Mercy orphanage. We brought along crafts and games for the children to play with. Many of them were handicapped, but were just as delighted to see us and converse with everyone. Leslie and Tyler sponsor a little boy named Wilson and are able to provide him food and an education. They met him in person for the first time that day!
On Monday, the car we were supposed to be using as transportation broke down, so we were unable to continue with our scheduled plans for the day. However, during the evening we found a ride and took a tour of the city. We were able to see the Palace that had been destroyed in the earthquake.
During the next few days, we made a few trips to visit our friend Guy who just recently built a school for the children in Cite de Soleil, the slums of Port-au-Prince. His story is truly inspiring! We had a little carnival, and used some of the money we raised to buy a huge meal for all the school children, as most of them barely eat one meal a day. We painted some portraits on their walls and also learned a little Creole, the French language Haitians speak.
One day, we visited a school sponsored by Haiti Foundation Against Poverty, a school in Le Bour. We were able to distribute an outfit to each student, as well as pass out 1,000 PB sandwiches to the children and community. Also, we distributed somewhat of a "survival kit" to 25 deserving families in the neighborhood. We were able to give them a tent tarp, food, water, soap, and more. Afterward, we took a tour through one of the tent cities that hadn't been helped by any organization yet.
When people ask us how the trip went, it seems SO hard to explain such a huge experience in just a few words. It was devastating, hopeful, sad, happy, scary, enlightening, and shocking all at the same time. Probably the thing we will remember the most were the faces of the people. When we see pictures and videos on CNN and in the newspaper, everyone looks terrified. While we're sure they all are sometimes, the atmosphere in Haiti is still full of hope and smiles. People are getting on with their lives and not giving up hope that one day God will help restore their city.
We are continuing to raise money in an effort to help Guy, the Sisters of Mercy, Haiti Clinic, and all those still suffering in Haiti. If you wish to help us in these efforts, please contact us (either Rebeccah at rapinr@mail.gvsu.edu, or Leslie at curtisl@mail.gvsu.edu). Right now, these people are in desperate need of money to help feed their communities. Food and water are very expensive in Haiti, and by giving them money to buy these essentials, you will be restoring hope in the Haitian community.
Feel free to e-mail us with any questions you may have. We'd love to hear stories of people who have been there, or help with those who are looking to go down and lend a hand to the Haitian community.
Thanks!
Leslie and Rebeccah
